Fundamental Concepts in Astronomy:
Stars, Galaxies, and Cosmology
Spring 2002
This course is open only to teaching students from the Curry School.
This course provides a nonmathematical introduction to the astronomy of the
stars, galaxies, and cosmology.
It is intended primarily for non-science majors, and the course satisfies
three hours of the science area requirement.
Topics which are covered include:
the night sky;
the nature of stars, their formation and life histories;
light, atoms, and telescopes;
binary stars and gravity;
supernovae, white dwarfs, pulsars, neutron stars, and black holes;
the structure and formation of the Milky Way, our home galaxy;
interstellar matter;
the nature of other galaxies and their origins;
active galaxies and quasars;
the large-scale structure of the Universe;
the expanding universe, cosmology, the Big Bang, and the early Universe.
The most recent results from space missions will be highlighted.
